Wi-Fi use in the 5.0 GHz band has tripled since 2014 in the Netherlands, according to a report from the Telecom Agency, which manages radio frequency use. The report by Strict and Figo for the agency found that more and more routers use the 5.0 GHz band, in order to avoid the congestion in the 2.4 GHz band. In the past three years, the number of access points in the higher band has increased 200 percent.

The research from 2014 was repeated this year, looking at 183 sites in the Netherlands. The study measured how many networks were in use, how much data could be sent over Wi-Fi and whether a good connection could be established. The agency plans to expand the number of measurement sites and the frequency of measurements in the coming years.

Despite the strong increase in use, the 5.0 GHz band still has enough capacity for fast connections and more users. The 2.4 GHz band is much more congested, leading to interference from neighbouring devices. Already in 2014 the study found problems with the 2.4 GHz band in urban areas, and this has only increased.

In 2014, the agency advised broadband users to opt for the 5.0 GHz band, and dual-band routers are much more common at ISPs now than three years ago. New configurations, remote management and Wi-Fi techniques have also made connections in the 2.4 GHz band more efficient.

Research by Telecompaper also found that the number of Wi-Fi connected devices in Dutch households has stopped growing. According to a survey by Telecompaper Consumer Insights in the autumn, 59 percent of Dutch consumers have between four and ten Wi-Fi devices at home, the same as in the summer of 2016. Just over a third (35%) said they have 1-3 Wi-Fi devices, also unchanged from a year ago. Only 6 percent have more than ten Wi-Fi devices, while the average across households is five.